Thank You

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you... ~ Phil. 1:3

Thank you will never be enough...there are no words to express our gratefulness for the generosity of MckMama. With the mighty wolverines (yes, as an Ohio state Buckeye it does pain me to type those words...but I love MckMama that much!) spurring her and each other on, sweet MckMama will be donating a grand total of $2294 to Sufficient Grace Ministries! Yes, two thousand, two hundred and ninety-four people took the time to comment yesterday in answer to MckMama's call. Amazing grace, Amazing God, Amazing willing hearts...

Yesterday morning as I was getting ready to pick Timothy up from his golf tournament and trying to catch up on the blog and ministry email, I found MckMama's email in my inbox telling me to check out her blog...and also reminding me that what I was about to find was not about her, or me...but about Him! About the amazing, mighty, awesome God we serve. She felt led by the Lord to step (LEAP) out in faith...and in the process to bless my ever-loving socks off! And not just mine...but everyone who graced her blog, or mine, or the other blogs that were writing about this incredible act of generosity and faith yesterday. And not just all of those...but everyone they shared with by word of mouth. And not even just those...but every family who will receive comfort and hope as the result of her willing, generous, obedient to follow God's call, heart.

I very rapidly called my brother who works on our website, which was under construction at the time... and said that the people would be coming. There would be no time to perfect things. MckMama had spoken (at the Lord's leading) and wolverines would be coming our way...in droves. My brother is a Michigan Wolverine fan by the way!=(

Any-hoo, there was little time, and some glitches, but he and his wife got the site running and put up what they could. I frantically posted bits of information about our ministry so that it would be readily available for those stopping by...and emailed everyone I could think of.

Then, I had to leave to get Timothy, run errands, prepare for Saturday Worship, and attend Saturday evening worship. Following the service, we had to go to a graduation party. So, believe it or not, I wasn't near my computer all day! People would call me and give me updates. Friends sat mesmerized by the ever-increasing comments. My counter disappeared for several hours! And I just floated through my day in complete and utter awe.

At 10:00p.m., I was finally able to get to my computer and settle in for a long night of watching the Lord work through His people. As I read through some of the comments, I was touched by so many who have lost a baby or child or who knew someone close to them that had a loss. I cried as I read some of your stories...and plan to try and visit many of you. I prayed for many last night as well. I was touched by friends (and strangers!) who visited and left a comment. Friends who sat by their computer. Friends who commented over and over again...and stayed up until the very end to see this through. I laughed at many of you as the late night sillies took over (and you know who you are. I'm not mentioning any names, Toni and DawnM. And someone I don't know, named heather, who thoroughly cracked me up with her shout out to her idol, DawnM!). I love you guys.

In the midst of all of this, there still lies a mother's heart. And...one of the things that touched me the most, was the amount of people who now knew the names of Faith, Grace, and Thomas. Some of you even referred to them by name, adding blessing upon blessing. When MckMama spoke of her desire to have people know Stellan's name, that he was here, that he mattered...I understood. Every mother who has been told that her baby will surely die, understood. Every mother understood. Even twelve years later, it means so much to me to hear/read their names. They were here, they have value, they matter. Not that it's just about our babies...the purpose of our ministry is to reach out in God's love, offering comfort and hope for those who grieve. But, we are blessed that God has used the precious lives of Faith, Grace, and Thomas to be part of that plan.

I have called you by your name;
You are Mine. ~Isaiah 43:1b

When I first heard from MckMama several weeks ago, I was just so blessed that she even knew my name! =) I certainly never expected this...that she would do something so amazing...WOW! It is humbling beyond words. And, it has led me to thinking about how much it matters to us to be known...to be acknowledged, to know that we have value. No, it's not about us being known in a famous, look-at-me way. It is about our God, seeing His hand work in the lives of others...and He gets the glory. But, you know what...just like my mommy-heart is blessed to hear that others know the names of my children, our heavenly Father lets our names be known. He knows our name. He sees little tiny us. And in Him, we are valued, dearly loved, and our lives matter. Our lives matter to Him. Every tear we cry, every hair on our head, every desire of our hearts. He sees, He knows, He cares.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to MckMama (and Prince Charming, too!)...and to everyone who took part in this huge blessing. There will still be many ways you can help Sufficient Grace Ministries if you are interested, so stay tuned. Also, if you have had a loss and we can be of any help to you, please do not hesitate to email us: sufficientgraceministries@gmail.com. We would be glad to send you whatever we have to give...including a Dreams of You Memory Book. We would be honored to walk with you in whatever way we are able...and most of all to pray for you.